The book you hold in your hands is a gateway to a world in which YOU are the HERO! You decide which route to take, which dangers to risk, and which creatures to fight. But be warned – it will also be YOU who has to live or die by the consequences of your actions.

Returning to your castle home, Valsinore, after three years away crusading against the forces of darkness, it seems as though evil has been laid to rest. But then, out of nowhere, you are cut down in the final stages of your journey.

Caught between the living world and the Lands of the Dead, your ghostly form must battle to uncover the most malignant evil of all that has taken root in the heart of Valsinore. Before the night is out you must have your revenge or face a fate even worse than death itself.[2]

Instead of rolling the stats for a character as per tradition in Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, the player has the option of choosing a pregenerated character from three choices (see "Further Notes" below for choices).

The player starts the game with a WILL score of 6, which can never drop below 1.[3]

The player starts the game as a ghost and if "killed" in combat (STAMINA reduced to Zero) is able to continue the adventure in the Lands of the Dead, from where it is possible to return to the physical world, though still as a ghost.[4]